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Dalziel & Pascoe #17
On Beulah Height
Into thin air...
Three little girls, one by one, had vanished from the farming village of Dendale. And Superintendent Andy Dalziel, a young detective in those days, never found their bodies--or the person who snatched them. Then the valley where Dendale stood was flooded to create a reservoir, and the town itself ceased to be . . . except in Dalziel's memory.
Twelve years later, the threads of past and present are slowly winding into a chilling mosaic. A drought and dropping water table have brought Dendale's ruins into view. And a little girl has gone missing from a nearby village. Helped by Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, an older, fatter, and wiser Dalziel has a second chance to uncover the secrets of a drowned valley. And now the identity of a killer rests on what one child saw . . . and what another, now grown, fears with all her heart to remember . . . .
Three little girls, one by one, had vanished from the farming village of Dendale. And Superintendent Andy Dalziel, a young detective in those days, never found their bodies--or the person who snatched them. Then the valley where Dendale stood was flooded to create a reservoir, and the town itself ceased to be . . . except in Dalziel's memory.
Twelve years later, the threads of past and present are slowly winding into a chilling mosaic. A drought and dropping water table have brought Dendale's ruins into view. And a little girl has gone missing from a nearby village. Helped by Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, an older, fatter, and wiser Dalziel has a second chance to uncover the secrets of a drowned valley. And now the identity of a killer rests on what one child saw . . . and what another, now grown, fears with all her heart to remember . . . .
560 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
464 people are currently reading
1468 people want to read
About the author
Reginald Hill
154 books504 followersReginald Charles Hill was a contemporary English crime writer, and the winner in 1995 of the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement.
After National Service (1955-57) and studying English at St Catherine's College, Oxford University (1957-60) he worked as a teacher for many years, rising to Senior Lecturer at Doncaster College of Education. In 1980 he retired from salaried work in order to devote himself full-time to writing.
Hill is best known for his more than 20 novels featuring the Yorkshire detectives Andrew Dalziel, Peter Pascoe and Edgar Wield. He has also written more than 30 other novels, including five featuring Joe Sixsmith, a black machine operator turned private detective in a fictional Luton. Novels originally published under the pseudonyms of Patrick Ruell, Dick Morland, and Charles Underhill have now appeared under his own name. Hill is also a writer of short stories, and ghost tales.
After National Service (1955-57) and studying English at St Catherine's College, Oxford University (1957-60) he worked as a teacher for many years, rising to Senior Lecturer at Doncaster College of Education. In 1980 he retired from salaried work in order to devote himself full-time to writing.
Hill is best known for his more than 20 novels featuring the Yorkshire detectives Andrew Dalziel, Peter Pascoe and Edgar Wield. He has also written more than 30 other novels, including five featuring Joe Sixsmith, a black machine operator turned private detective in a fictional Luton. Novels originally published under the pseudonyms of Patrick Ruell, Dick Morland, and Charles Underhill have now appeared under his own name. Hill is also a writer of short stories, and ghost tales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
November 13, 2021
Think this is my second novel by Reginald Hill and just as the last one I've given it 4 stars. Didn't matter that I've jumped straight into this series as I really enjoyed it. Good crime plot and intriguing enough to never get boring
October 21, 2022
Years ago when Dalziel was a young detective, three little girls went missing from the village of Dendale. Their bodies were never found and no one was ever charged with the crime, although the locals felt they had a good idea of who had murdered them. Shortly after, Dendale was “drowned” as part of the development of a new reservoir. Now a long summer drought has emptied the reservoir so that the old village is re-emerging; and another little girl has gone missing…
This is Hill at the absolute peak of his considerable powers. The imagery of the drowned village gives a kind of mythical air to the story, which is magnified by the use of a children’s story about the Nix, a local legend involving a creature who steals children. Pascoe’s little daughter Rosie is seriously ill in hospital for most of the story, and her dreams and delirium add to this somewhat dark, otherwordly atmosphere.
The other aspect that makes this one stand out is Hill’s wonderful use of Yorkshire dialect. Not only for the characters when they’re speaking, but he has one of them translate Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children) into the Yorkshire vernacular, and he does it brilliantly. All these things together lift this way beyond being an excellent example of a police procedural, though it is that, into the realms of first-class literary fiction as a meditation on lost children and the grief of those who loved them. I challenge you not to cry, not to laugh, not to find yourself stopping now and again just to admire the superb writing. I have long said that, for me, this is the best crime fiction novel of all time, and my re-read has done nothing to change my opinion.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
This is Hill at the absolute peak of his considerable powers. The imagery of the drowned village gives a kind of mythical air to the story, which is magnified by the use of a children’s story about the Nix, a local legend involving a creature who steals children. Pascoe’s little daughter Rosie is seriously ill in hospital for most of the story, and her dreams and delirium add to this somewhat dark, otherwordly atmosphere.
The other aspect that makes this one stand out is Hill’s wonderful use of Yorkshire dialect. Not only for the characters when they’re speaking, but he has one of them translate Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children) into the Yorkshire vernacular, and he does it brilliantly. All these things together lift this way beyond being an excellent example of a police procedural, though it is that, into the realms of first-class literary fiction as a meditation on lost children and the grief of those who loved them. I challenge you not to cry, not to laugh, not to find yourself stopping now and again just to admire the superb writing. I have long said that, for me, this is the best crime fiction novel of all time, and my re-read has done nothing to change my opinion.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
July 22, 2016
Seventeenth in the Dalziel and Pascoe mystery series set in contemporary Mid-Yorkshire.
My Take
Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow...this was good. Can ya tell...I think this was good. I'm still a bit overwhelmed...wow.
I actually thought I was reading the first book in the series and I was so impressed by how well entrenched all the characters were. You truly can read this story out of its order as Hill doesn't leave you wondering what you've missed. Instead, I fell into their story in total comfort. As though I had known them forever. Now I'm curious about all that has gone before...tch...never happy, am I?
Hill has done a beautiful job of writing Yorkshire dialog. It feels very authentic and yet up-to-date. No, I'm not trying to be catty. It's just that you know the story is set in a contemporary day and the characters are everyday people comfortable in "today" while "in character" with their Yorkshire accent and all those "were"s. It helped set the atmosphere beautifully.
It's a compelling story with a lovely cast of varied characters. Everyday characters enduring the dramas that attach to parenthood and policework in such a way that you want to know what will happen next. I love the introspection Hill provides us in Pascoe's worries about his daughter and how she views their family; the conclusions we draw as we learn more about Elizabeth and Betsy Allgood---I'd certainly never have expected Elizabeth to turn out as she has...until I reached the end; Ellie Pascoe's thoughts on her many writing rejections are hauntingly funny; there's Novello's worries about the retreats and advances in her own career along with her assessments of the "Holy Trinity";
Hill intrigues and teases with his subtle red herrings although I am confused as to why everyone ignored the 'strine accent of the mysterious "Benny Lightfoot"…!
One thought that rises is that we never pay enough attention to what children say. Nor do we remember how they interpret what they see in relation to what they know...just ask Rosie. And the greatest tragedy? We teach them to tell us what will make us adults happy. We tell them that they should always tell the truth, but then punish them for it. It only teaches them to repeat to us what they think we want to hear. The truth may not have saved anyone the first time around...but, at least, there may have been a chance.
Ooh, and yet more snark!
The Story
History is repeating itself when a little girl goes missing on the fells. A throwback to a series of disappearances 12 years earlier when the village of Dendale drowned.
It's the Dacre family drama when young Lorraine goes missing that brings back all the past fears and opens us to the inner family and individual crises of those involved from adulteries, child interactions, the dangers of self-righteousness, the terror of meningitis, old romances, the give-and-take amongst the cops, writer and performer anxieties, and successes and failures set in a village where so many seem to know everyone else.
Finally, it brings an most unexpected resolution that will make you nuts..!
The Characters
Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel, a.k.a., the Fat Man, is the head of CID and pretty much god amongst the Yorkshire police force. Use his name and it's "open sesame". Amanda "Cap" Marvell reappears back in Andy's life. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe is suffering from depression and there's his writer wife Ellie and their daughter Rosie. Sergeant "Nobby" Clark seems to live up to his nickname. Detective Inspector Maggie Burroughs organizes the search of the fells. Edwin Digweed is an antiquarian bookseller and the publisher of the Eendale Press as well as Sergeant Edgar Wield's partner. Detective Constable Shirley Novello is anxious to prove herself on this case. Detective Inspector George Headingley is very carefully minding his time until he retires. Sergeant Tom Merriman is the chief mermaid who makes a surprising discovery putting paid to several years-old questions. Jeannie Plowright is now head of Social Services at County Hall and a big help in locating Mrs. Lightfoot.
The Dendale villagers in the first set of dramas:
Aunt Chloe Wulfstan and her snobby husband Walter with their daughter Mary; Cedric and Mrs. Hardcastle and their Jenny; and Joe and Mrs. Telford with their Madge and more. Betsy Allgood was a seven-year-old, very involved, witness. Mr. Pontifex owned most of the farms in the area and let them to farmers on a tenancy. Arne Krog is a Norwegian baritone who has been singing at the Mid-Yorkshire Dales Music Festival from the beginning and his unsocial accompanist Inger Sandel. Dalziel is pretty cheeky in his stubborn adherence to mistaking the Norwegian's nationality! Benny Lightfoot is a shy young man who passionately avoids others causing them to consider him daft and he's a person of interest in the crimes. He moved in with his grandmother, Mrs. Agnes Lightfoot, when his mother remarried and took his brother Barnaby off to Oz. Geordie Turnbull was one of the heavy plant operators on the dam---and a person of interest. I did enjoy Hill's description of Turnbull as a most charming ladies' man...gentlemen, you could learn sometihng from this!
The Danby villagers in today's drama include:
Elizabeth Wulfstan is a young up-and-coming singer who has returned to the area for a music festival. Tony and Elsie Coe Dacre and their Lorraine. Benny Lightfoot has left his mark in Mid-Yorkshire: his speed is a byword and the children sing rhymes about him while the seeker in hide-and-seek is "the Benny". Mrs. Shimmings is the head teacher at St. Michael's Primary. The mildly lecherous Derek and unpretentious Jill Purlingstone with their daughter Zandra, Rosie's best friend, is more of a useful side note. The Hardcastles are here with young Jed who provides some insight into how parents unconsciously destroy their children.
Billie Saltair, the matron at the Wark House, provides useful information and contacts.
The Title
The title is the key to this story for the answers are found On Beulah Height.
My Take
Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow...this was good. Can ya tell...I think this was good. I'm still a bit overwhelmed...wow.
I actually thought I was reading the first book in the series and I was so impressed by how well entrenched all the characters were. You truly can read this story out of its order as Hill doesn't leave you wondering what you've missed. Instead, I fell into their story in total comfort. As though I had known them forever. Now I'm curious about all that has gone before...tch...never happy, am I?
Hill has done a beautiful job of writing Yorkshire dialog. It feels very authentic and yet up-to-date. No, I'm not trying to be catty. It's just that you know the story is set in a contemporary day and the characters are everyday people comfortable in "today" while "in character" with their Yorkshire accent and all those "were"s. It helped set the atmosphere beautifully.
It's a compelling story with a lovely cast of varied characters. Everyday characters enduring the dramas that attach to parenthood and policework in such a way that you want to know what will happen next. I love the introspection Hill provides us in Pascoe's worries about his daughter and how she views their family; the conclusions we draw as we learn more about Elizabeth and Betsy Allgood---I'd certainly never have expected Elizabeth to turn out as she has...until I reached the end; Ellie Pascoe's thoughts on her many writing rejections are hauntingly funny; there's Novello's worries about the retreats and advances in her own career along with her assessments of the "Holy Trinity";
Hill intrigues and teases with his subtle red herrings although I am confused as to why everyone ignored the 'strine accent of the mysterious "Benny Lightfoot"…!
I did enjoy Digweed's paraphrase of Churchill's quote when Monte "came to visit": "Naturally my first thought was, I'm being raped by an ape,...So I lay back and thought of Africa."
One thought that rises is that we never pay enough attention to what children say. Nor do we remember how they interpret what they see in relation to what they know...just ask Rosie. And the greatest tragedy? We teach them to tell us what will make us adults happy. We tell them that they should always tell the truth, but then punish them for it. It only teaches them to repeat to us what they think we want to hear. The truth may not have saved anyone the first time around...but, at least, there may have been a chance.
"The Sumo Wrestler as Sex Object."
Ooh, and yet more snark!
The Story
History is repeating itself when a little girl goes missing on the fells. A throwback to a series of disappearances 12 years earlier when the village of Dendale drowned.
It's the Dacre family drama when young Lorraine goes missing that brings back all the past fears and opens us to the inner family and individual crises of those involved from adulteries, child interactions, the dangers of self-righteousness, the terror of meningitis, old romances, the give-and-take amongst the cops, writer and performer anxieties, and successes and failures set in a village where so many seem to know everyone else.
Finally, it brings an most unexpected resolution that will make you nuts..!
The Characters
Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel, a.k.a., the Fat Man, is the head of CID and pretty much god amongst the Yorkshire police force. Use his name and it's "open sesame". Amanda "Cap" Marvell reappears back in Andy's life. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe is suffering from depression and there's his writer wife Ellie and their daughter Rosie. Sergeant "Nobby" Clark seems to live up to his nickname. Detective Inspector Maggie Burroughs organizes the search of the fells. Edwin Digweed is an antiquarian bookseller and the publisher of the Eendale Press as well as Sergeant Edgar Wield's partner. Detective Constable Shirley Novello is anxious to prove herself on this case. Detective Inspector George Headingley is very carefully minding his time until he retires. Sergeant Tom Merriman is the chief mermaid who makes a surprising discovery putting paid to several years-old questions. Jeannie Plowright is now head of Social Services at County Hall and a big help in locating Mrs. Lightfoot.
The Dendale villagers in the first set of dramas:
Aunt Chloe Wulfstan and her snobby husband Walter with their daughter Mary; Cedric and Mrs. Hardcastle and their Jenny; and Joe and Mrs. Telford with their Madge and more. Betsy Allgood was a seven-year-old, very involved, witness. Mr. Pontifex owned most of the farms in the area and let them to farmers on a tenancy. Arne Krog is a Norwegian baritone who has been singing at the Mid-Yorkshire Dales Music Festival from the beginning and his unsocial accompanist Inger Sandel. Dalziel is pretty cheeky in his stubborn adherence to mistaking the Norwegian's nationality! Benny Lightfoot is a shy young man who passionately avoids others causing them to consider him daft and he's a person of interest in the crimes. He moved in with his grandmother, Mrs. Agnes Lightfoot, when his mother remarried and took his brother Barnaby off to Oz. Geordie Turnbull was one of the heavy plant operators on the dam---and a person of interest. I did enjoy Hill's description of Turnbull as a most charming ladies' man...gentlemen, you could learn sometihng from this!
The Danby villagers in today's drama include:
Elizabeth Wulfstan is a young up-and-coming singer who has returned to the area for a music festival. Tony and Elsie Coe Dacre and their Lorraine. Benny Lightfoot has left his mark in Mid-Yorkshire: his speed is a byword and the children sing rhymes about him while the seeker in hide-and-seek is "the Benny". Mrs. Shimmings is the head teacher at St. Michael's Primary. The mildly lecherous Derek and unpretentious Jill Purlingstone with their daughter Zandra, Rosie's best friend, is more of a useful side note. The Hardcastles are here with young Jed who provides some insight into how parents unconsciously destroy their children.
Billie Saltair, the matron at the Wark House, provides useful information and contacts.
The Title
The title is the key to this story for the answers are found On Beulah Height.
April 5, 2016
I was looking forward to this book in the Dalziel and Pascoe series as I remembered it being one of the best episodes in the BBC series. This was even better than the episode!
15 years ago the Waterboard decided to flood and bulldoze the village of Dendale and just before the villagers moved 3 young girls were taken and never found and the prime suspect Benny Lightfoot vanished. Now another girl from the nearby village of Danby has gone missing and there is graffiti saying "Benny's Back."
This has to be the best Dalziel and Pascoe book so far. The plot is fantastically crafted, the characters well drawn and as always the humour of Dalziel never gets old! I got so gripped I stayed up until 1am to finish it.
A brilliant example of great Crime Fiction and a must read for fans of Dalziel and Pascoe.
15 years ago the Waterboard decided to flood and bulldoze the village of Dendale and just before the villagers moved 3 young girls were taken and never found and the prime suspect Benny Lightfoot vanished. Now another girl from the nearby village of Danby has gone missing and there is graffiti saying "Benny's Back."
This has to be the best Dalziel and Pascoe book so far. The plot is fantastically crafted, the characters well drawn and as always the humour of Dalziel never gets old! I got so gripped I stayed up until 1am to finish it.
A brilliant example of great Crime Fiction and a must read for fans of Dalziel and Pascoe.
May 21, 2023
Twelve years ago a village was torn apart by two incidents: the flooding of the land where the village sat and the disappearance of three little girls.
The villagers either left or stayed in a nearby village and the disappearances, which were never solved, stopped. But the bright days of another drought are lowing the waters in the dam, revealing the ruins of that old village and another little girl has disappeared. Once again, Superintendent Andy Dalziel is back on the case, sifting through the old clues, looking at the old suspect and trying to bring the horror to a conclusion.
This is a very interesting psychological story. Fine writing, terrific character development and a very surprising and satisfying conclusion.
The villagers either left or stayed in a nearby village and the disappearances, which were never solved, stopped. But the bright days of another drought are lowing the waters in the dam, revealing the ruins of that old village and another little girl has disappeared. Once again, Superintendent Andy Dalziel is back on the case, sifting through the old clues, looking at the old suspect and trying to bring the horror to a conclusion.
This is a very interesting psychological story. Fine writing, terrific character development and a very surprising and satisfying conclusion.
June 7, 2020
Looking for a good mystery to read, I googled things like best mysteries of all time and Top Ten Mystery Novels. I had read many of them, but this novel and this author kept popping up. So I took a chance, and downloaded.
Stereotypical characters but the detectives are likable and clever. One of the detectives is a young woman dealing with finding her place in a male laden profession and keeping her ambitions in check. Another detective is a gay man who is not quite as in the closet as he thinks.
The mystery involves the disappearances of three young girls about 15 years ago. They were never found and no suspects were arrested. Now another girl has gone missing. Enjoyable reading.
Stereotypical characters but the detectives are likable and clever. One of the detectives is a young woman dealing with finding her place in a male laden profession and keeping her ambitions in check. Another detective is a gay man who is not quite as in the closet as he thinks.
The mystery involves the disappearances of three young girls about 15 years ago. They were never found and no suspects were arrested. Now another girl has gone missing. Enjoyable reading.
August 3, 2021
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I was tempted to read a Dalzeil and Pascoe novel after reading The Woodcutter, a very different stand alone story and Reginald Hill’s last book written in 2010, which I enjoyed. Without reading that I wouldn’t have appreciated what a good writer Hill is. He has a very descriptive, almost flowery, style which mixes with sudden bouts of bluntness and humour. This mix of styles suits his two main characters perfectly. Certainly the TV series portrays much more standardised who done it storylines which may suit TV fine but don’t do the writer justice.
Being written in the 1990’s the story is rather dated, particularly in relation to how women are gay relationships are portrayed. Likewise the authoritarian Dalzeil character.
The storyline concerns three missing girls who were murdered some 15 years ago from a village that was later flooded to make way for a reservoir. When another child goes missing in the present day it sparks new investigation which ultimately resolves the old mystery. The story itself is interesting enough but it is the writing style that makes it an easy and enjoyable read.
I’m not sure I will be rushing to read many more of the back catalogue but won’t rule it out either.
Being written in the 1990’s the story is rather dated, particularly in relation to how women are gay relationships are portrayed. Likewise the authoritarian Dalzeil character.
The storyline concerns three missing girls who were murdered some 15 years ago from a village that was later flooded to make way for a reservoir. When another child goes missing in the present day it sparks new investigation which ultimately resolves the old mystery. The story itself is interesting enough but it is the writing style that makes it an easy and enjoyable read.
I’m not sure I will be rushing to read many more of the back catalogue but won’t rule it out either.
September 7, 2007
On BEULAH HEIGHT – G
Reginald Hill – 17th in series
With modernity raising its head in Yorkshire, the Water Board decided to flood a local valley to make a reservoir. Of course they had to bulldoze the homes of Dendale, and relocate the families. That was when three little girls disappeared. Andy Dalziel, a young detective in those days, took the case hard. No bodies were ever found, and the best suspect, Benny Lightfoot, was held for a time, then released. Twelve years later, due to drought, the ruins of Dendale have begun to reappear. And the child-snatching has started again. Dalziel, older, wiser, and more caustic, is determined to get his man this time.
***Being this was the first Hill I’ve read, I definitely felt the lack of history with the characters. I found myself wanting to know them better. But they were the best part of the story. Except for particular bits, I found the plot not over interesting and the book way over long.
Reginald Hill – 17th in series
With modernity raising its head in Yorkshire, the Water Board decided to flood a local valley to make a reservoir. Of course they had to bulldoze the homes of Dendale, and relocate the families. That was when three little girls disappeared. Andy Dalziel, a young detective in those days, took the case hard. No bodies were ever found, and the best suspect, Benny Lightfoot, was held for a time, then released. Twelve years later, due to drought, the ruins of Dendale have begun to reappear. And the child-snatching has started again. Dalziel, older, wiser, and more caustic, is determined to get his man this time.
***Being this was the first Hill I’ve read, I definitely felt the lack of history with the characters. I found myself wanting to know them better. But they were the best part of the story. Except for particular bits, I found the plot not over interesting and the book way over long.
May 21, 2019
As well written and as easy and enjoyable to read as all the Daziel & Pascoe mysteries but the ending seemed forced or maybe just contrived - Hill was juggling too many plot lines. I liked the bald soprano (and felt she was treated unfairly in the resolution) but all the returning characters seem a little tired of their scripts.
July 16, 2019
Wow! Just Wow! What a page turner! Couldn't stop reading! My eyes are sore! His books are like carefully woven tapestries...the sympathy for his characters good, bad and ugly, the plot twists, the attention to environment, description of landscape, the delightful Yorkshire-steeped dialog and humor and above all the way he crafts his metaphors...he is so masterful. He even used my favorite Yorkshire slang in this one 'sprog'! I've made a book mark for myself listing every one of his novels with little check marks after the ones I've read and I've got an on-going project, donating to my local library the ones they don't have.
My only concern, and this was my fault, it might be better to start reading the books in chronological order as there seems to be method in his madness!
My only concern, and this was my fault, it might be better to start reading the books in chronological order as there seems to be method in his madness!
September 5, 2013
"On Beulah Height" is the first book I've read by Reginald Hill. I came across it almost by accident - through a swap on PaperBackSwap.com. Another member wanted to do a trade and I couldn't find anything on her shelf that I recognized, so I decided to take a chance on this book, based on its synopsis.
Wow! I am so glad I did. Hill's work epitomizes everything that is good about British mysteries: a small village, eccentric characters, wry humor, flawed, but brilliant detectives, suspenseful, but with little or no graphic descriptions of violence. British mystery writers seem to be able to describe a crime with as much as they don't say as with what they do.
I didn't see the resolution of the mystery coming, even though it was there in front if me all of the time. And in my opinion, this is a good thing! I find it irritating when a writer resolves a mystery by introducing information at the end of the story that we weren't privy to at least somewhere before in the story. However, when a writer resolves a story in such a way that you say to yourself, "how could I have missed that?" And you want to read the book all over again, just so you can fully appreciate the clues that you misinterpreted or completely missed before - well, that is an excellent mystery in my book!
Hill's work is reminiscent of that of other British mystery writers I've enjoyed, such as Robert Barnard and Michael Gilbert. "On Beulah Height" reminds me once again why it's so important to take a risk with an author I'm not familiar with. Before this book, I'd been somewhat stuck in my reading, I'd read several books that were good, but not remarkable, and I wondered when I was going to come across that next really good book. "On Beulah Heights" was it and I'm so thankful that there are another 23 books in the Dalziel and Pascoe series I now can look forward to reading!
Wow! I am so glad I did. Hill's work epitomizes everything that is good about British mysteries: a small village, eccentric characters, wry humor, flawed, but brilliant detectives, suspenseful, but with little or no graphic descriptions of violence. British mystery writers seem to be able to describe a crime with as much as they don't say as with what they do.
I didn't see the resolution of the mystery coming, even though it was there in front if me all of the time. And in my opinion, this is a good thing! I find it irritating when a writer resolves a mystery by introducing information at the end of the story that we weren't privy to at least somewhere before in the story. However, when a writer resolves a story in such a way that you say to yourself, "how could I have missed that?" And you want to read the book all over again, just so you can fully appreciate the clues that you misinterpreted or completely missed before - well, that is an excellent mystery in my book!
Hill's work is reminiscent of that of other British mystery writers I've enjoyed, such as Robert Barnard and Michael Gilbert. "On Beulah Height" reminds me once again why it's so important to take a risk with an author I'm not familiar with. Before this book, I'd been somewhat stuck in my reading, I'd read several books that were good, but not remarkable, and I wondered when I was going to come across that next really good book. "On Beulah Heights" was it and I'm so thankful that there are another 23 books in the Dalziel and Pascoe series I now can look forward to reading!
February 19, 2011
The plot of this book is somewhat reminiscent of Peter Robinson's IN A DRY SEASON: a small English village once drowned in the construction of a reservoir is uncovered during a severe drought, and its secrets begin to come to light. (Was there a lot of this going on in Britain in the late 90s?)
In any case, Hill's take on it is naturally different from Robinson's: in this one, the receding waters and the reappearance of the village coincide with the disappearance of a young girl, powerfully reminiscent of a similar series of disappearances prior to the relocation of the people of the village and its subsequent destruction. Hill's vulgar head detective Fat Andy Dalziel had been part of the prior, unresolved investigation and is grimly determined to crack this recent case, in the unspoken hope that it might resolve the old one. Dalziel's in his usual amusingly loutish form, his partner Pascoe continues to be a bit of an annoying stick in the mud, and the story, as per Hill's usual pace, takes a while to get anywhere. But the supporting characters are drawn well enough to make you care about them, and every now and then Hill comes up with a turn of phrase that makes you chuckle out loud with its perfection. Worth the extra time it takes to read. Oh, and pay attention to the illustrations, though they may look a bit amateurish. They're important.
In any case, Hill's take on it is naturally different from Robinson's: in this one, the receding waters and the reappearance of the village coincide with the disappearance of a young girl, powerfully reminiscent of a similar series of disappearances prior to the relocation of the people of the village and its subsequent destruction. Hill's vulgar head detective Fat Andy Dalziel had been part of the prior, unresolved investigation and is grimly determined to crack this recent case, in the unspoken hope that it might resolve the old one. Dalziel's in his usual amusingly loutish form, his partner Pascoe continues to be a bit of an annoying stick in the mud, and the story, as per Hill's usual pace, takes a while to get anywhere. But the supporting characters are drawn well enough to make you care about them, and every now and then Hill comes up with a turn of phrase that makes you chuckle out loud with its perfection. Worth the extra time it takes to read. Oh, and pay attention to the illustrations, though they may look a bit amateurish. They're important.
November 28, 2024
One long Endless series of A British mystery starring the Fat Man and his sensitive partner Pascoe. When 3 girls disappear and are never found, and the person who wrought this evil is never identified, and the town is purposely buried in the building of a new dam, and then 15 years later, another girl disappears in the adjoining town, and then Pascoes daughter gets deathly ill ; then a new female detective takes much of the ground work, and neighbors are forever climbing up and down the hills around the town, and looking for clues, and the reader gets tired of waiting for the ending and the solution, and then when it comes, one is never quite sure what that ending means...the details, the motive, etc. 374 pages of small print.
June 21, 2009
This is perhaps the best Dalziel and Pascoe novel yet, which is saying quite a lot. Maybe it’s the maturity of characters; not content to rehash the same old banter between Andy Dalziel, Peter Pascoe and Ellie, he’s first developed Wield and now Novello into a full team member. Also some of the one-off characters are memorable in this novel.
July 31, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t really remember how I heard about this Dalziel & Pascoe mystery. (Probably a Kindle Unlimited impulsive choice.) It’s the 17th book of 20 in a series written by Reginald Hill. I’ve read one of his WWII novels and thought it was well written. (He died in 2012.) I haven’t read any of the other D&P books.
Dalziel and Pascoe are police detectives/officers in Mid Yorkshire in England. I got the impression it was fairly rural. Dalziel is the chief and he and Pascoe are a team. He is a really big guy with an ex-girlfriend, Peter Pascoe is married. In this story a little girl goes missing under seemingly the same circumstances as three little girls who had disappeared 15 years earlier. Their disappearances were never solved which is a big sore spot on Dalziel’s conscience.
There were a lot of British words and phrases that I don’t recall coming across in my prior reading history. Owt for anything and nowt for nothing and ghyll for a deep ravine to mention a few. This was a good crime story, but I can’t help but think I should have started with the first book in the series. Maybe someday it will happen!
The 52 Book Club Challenge - 2024
Prompt #24 - A cover without people on it
I don’t really remember how I heard about this Dalziel & Pascoe mystery. (Probably a Kindle Unlimited impulsive choice.) It’s the 17th book of 20 in a series written by Reginald Hill. I’ve read one of his WWII novels and thought it was well written. (He died in 2012.) I haven’t read any of the other D&P books.
Dalziel and Pascoe are police detectives/officers in Mid Yorkshire in England. I got the impression it was fairly rural. Dalziel is the chief and he and Pascoe are a team. He is a really big guy with an ex-girlfriend, Peter Pascoe is married. In this story a little girl goes missing under seemingly the same circumstances as three little girls who had disappeared 15 years earlier. Their disappearances were never solved which is a big sore spot on Dalziel’s conscience.
There were a lot of British words and phrases that I don’t recall coming across in my prior reading history. Owt for anything and nowt for nothing and ghyll for a deep ravine to mention a few. This was a good crime story, but I can’t help but think I should have started with the first book in the series. Maybe someday it will happen!
The 52 Book Club Challenge - 2024
Prompt #24 - A cover without people on it
August 1, 2025
On Beulah Height is a good mystery novel, maybe even very good; yet, for me, it was very difficult to get immersed in the world of the novel's characters. It took me about 100 pages to become sort of engaged with the plethora of characters and with the complex plot. It is my first book by Reginald Hill; I will try another one to see whether some familiarity with the detectives (the novel is a part of the popular Dalziel and Pascoe series) improves my reception.
Three little girls had disappeared from a farming village in the Mid-Yorkshire Dales area. The police had been unable to find the bodies or even determine what happened to the girls. Then, the village and surrounding areas were flooded in order to build a reservoir. More than ten years later, the drought caused the water levels to drop, and the remnants of the flooded village were uncovered. And then... another little girl disappears. The present is deeply interwoven with the past. The summer concert featuring Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder (Songs for Dead Children) provides fitting background to the dramatic events. The convoluted yet logical denouement requires constant focus on the text.
Three little girls had disappeared from a farming village in the Mid-Yorkshire Dales area. The police had been unable to find the bodies or even determine what happened to the girls. Then, the village and surrounding areas were flooded in order to build a reservoir. More than ten years later, the drought caused the water levels to drop, and the remnants of the flooded village were uncovered. And then... another little girl disappears. The present is deeply interwoven with the past. The summer concert featuring Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder (Songs for Dead Children) provides fitting background to the dramatic events. The convoluted yet logical denouement requires constant focus on the text.
June 25, 2024
Multiple brit accents and dialects? Not a problem. Irish? Easy. Australian? FFS, it is far closer to Liverpool England than Liverpool NSW. Honestly, guys, stop, just stop with the attempts at an Ausssie accent. You just sound ridiculous. Keeble is such a first class narrator, you'd think he'd know better than to spoil it by trying.
After a session of Andy interviewing the oz...
Oh please, save me, not only does he sound RIDICULOUS, he somehow manages to mispronounce half the words. Trust me, I've lived here for a while, and I know how we sound and this ain't it, by a very long way. I don't have to live in America to know his very short (thankfully) American accent was also crap.
/audio criticism off
Great book, one of the better ones I reckon. :)
After a session of Andy interviewing the oz...
Oh please, save me, not only does he sound RIDICULOUS, he somehow manages to mispronounce half the words. Trust me, I've lived here for a while, and I know how we sound and this ain't it, by a very long way. I don't have to live in America to know his very short (thankfully) American accent was also crap.
/audio criticism off
Great book, one of the better ones I reckon. :)
January 17, 2021
Three and 1/2 stars. I picked this up at the local free library because I recognised the author and I remembered enjoying the TV series. The use of dialogue and local dialect is great - except ... except ... for the stereotypical 'Australian' language. No one says tucker and Hill got arse over tit wrong (he wrote tip instead of tit). So that Hoganesque character put me off the story a little. I enjoyed his use of Ancient Greek mythology and humour and some of the characters were intriguing. My favourite incident was the '...bloody hell!' uttered by the vicar about the monkey, and my favourite character was 'Ivor' Novello, the young female DC (just the sort of jokey name my Dad would've come up with), finding and trying to hold her ground in a patriarchal work environment. For a good missing children mystery/crime story, this was much much better than 6 Minutes by Petronella McGovern, which I read recently.
April 18, 2024
I loved this one, it has really inspired my love for the series. Of course you don't want it to end badly, but sometimes bad things happen and the authors way of explaining things is beautiful. Not every crime fiction book is a simple whodunnit
Want to read
March 14, 2019Synopsis: three girls vanished. Andy Dalziel, a young detective in those days, never found their bodies. Years pass. He gets another chance.
December 18, 2020
Nail-biting suspense, worried about Rosie. And I enjoyed the character development of Novello. It looks like we’ll be seeing more of her.
June 23, 2011
Das kleine Dorf Dendale (bzw. das, was davon übriggeblieben ist), untergegangen in den Fluten eines Stausees zusammen mit dem Rätsel über drei verschwundene kleine Mädchen, taucht nach 15 Jahren nach einer langen Hitzeperiode wieder empor. Und mit ihm auch der damals verdächtige Benny? Graffity im benachbarten Ort Danby, wo die meisten der Bewohner Dendales nun leben, behaupten dies zumindest. Und als erneut ein kleines Mädchen verschwindet, scheint die Lage klar: Benny ist wieder da!
Superintendent Andrew Dalziel, der bereits mit dem Fall vor 15 Jahren beschäftigt war, macht seine damalige Erfolglosigkeit noch immer sehr zu schaffen ebenso wie vielen anderen seiner Kollegen. Es beginnt ein erneutes Hinterfragen der damaligen Vorgänge und scheinbar verheilte Wunden werden durch die neuen Untersuchungen wieder aufgerissen. Mit seinem unnachahmlichen Charme ('Ich denke, George...hat sein Gehirn über den Gesundheitsdienst bekommen, und jetzt wird's vom Immunsystem abgestoßen.') treibt Dalziel die Ermittlungen voran, um diese Fälle endlich zu klären.
Ein überaus fesselnder Krimi, der bemerkenswert unblutig daherkommt. Obwohl keinerlei Gewaltexzesse oder konkrete Bedrohungen beschrieben werden, steigt die düstere und angespannte Stimmung spürbar an. Hill gelingt es, den Druck und die Belastung, unter dem die Beamten wie auch die betroffenen Familien stehen, ebenso überzeugend darzustellen wie er bei Leserinnen und Lesern die Spannung erhöht, indem er sie auf die unterschiedlichsten Fährten führt. Als ob dies nicht schon mehr als genug wäre für eine gute Unterhaltung, lässt er seine Figuren über die wahren Werte des Lebens philosophieren und zeigt so ganz nebenbei, wie Menschen mit dem Verlust ihrer Heimat umgehen. All dies ist zudem noch in einem guten, leicht lesbaren und immer wieder auch amüsantem Stil verfasst, so dass man dieses Buch mit Fug und Recht als einen rundum gelungenenen Krimi bezeichnen kann.
Superintendent Andrew Dalziel, der bereits mit dem Fall vor 15 Jahren beschäftigt war, macht seine damalige Erfolglosigkeit noch immer sehr zu schaffen ebenso wie vielen anderen seiner Kollegen. Es beginnt ein erneutes Hinterfragen der damaligen Vorgänge und scheinbar verheilte Wunden werden durch die neuen Untersuchungen wieder aufgerissen. Mit seinem unnachahmlichen Charme ('Ich denke, George...hat sein Gehirn über den Gesundheitsdienst bekommen, und jetzt wird's vom Immunsystem abgestoßen.') treibt Dalziel die Ermittlungen voran, um diese Fälle endlich zu klären.
Ein überaus fesselnder Krimi, der bemerkenswert unblutig daherkommt. Obwohl keinerlei Gewaltexzesse oder konkrete Bedrohungen beschrieben werden, steigt die düstere und angespannte Stimmung spürbar an. Hill gelingt es, den Druck und die Belastung, unter dem die Beamten wie auch die betroffenen Familien stehen, ebenso überzeugend darzustellen wie er bei Leserinnen und Lesern die Spannung erhöht, indem er sie auf die unterschiedlichsten Fährten führt. Als ob dies nicht schon mehr als genug wäre für eine gute Unterhaltung, lässt er seine Figuren über die wahren Werte des Lebens philosophieren und zeigt so ganz nebenbei, wie Menschen mit dem Verlust ihrer Heimat umgehen. All dies ist zudem noch in einem guten, leicht lesbaren und immer wieder auch amüsantem Stil verfasst, so dass man dieses Buch mit Fug und Recht als einen rundum gelungenenen Krimi bezeichnen kann.
August 13, 2020
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while. I was finally in the mood to read it. Reginald Hill died in 2012. He was, in my opinion, one of the finest writers in crime fiction of the last and current century. This book, also in my opinion, ranks as one of his finest. As a review of the book says it's not just a crime novel but a meditation about "the love and loss of children" as the quote from the New York Times Book Review says that is printed on the back.
This book kept me guessing right up to the end. Mr. Hill was a master of red herrings. The subplot of DI Pascoe's daughter developing bacterial meningitis and nearly dying may seem superfluous, but it's not. Hill weaves it right through the book in a surprising and clever way.
The book opens to a drought that has dried up a huge reservoir. Many years before an entire village had been submerged in order to have the reservoir. Now it's dried up and the remains of the village are attracting visitors. At the same time a little girl goes missing and that brings back memories of the time when several little girls went missing from this village and were never found.
Hill wrote books for the patient reader. There is nothing straight forward about this book until just about at the very end when it all comes together. He was, indeed, a gifted writer. I miss the characters: Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe.
This book kept me guessing right up to the end. Mr. Hill was a master of red herrings. The subplot of DI Pascoe's daughter developing bacterial meningitis and nearly dying may seem superfluous, but it's not. Hill weaves it right through the book in a surprising and clever way.
The book opens to a drought that has dried up a huge reservoir. Many years before an entire village had been submerged in order to have the reservoir. Now it's dried up and the remains of the village are attracting visitors. At the same time a little girl goes missing and that brings back memories of the time when several little girls went missing from this village and were never found.
Hill wrote books for the patient reader. There is nothing straight forward about this book until just about at the very end when it all comes together. He was, indeed, a gifted writer. I miss the characters: Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe.
January 25, 2017
Hill really outdid himself with this story. It is much more lyrical in style than the typical police procedurals we read, and the author makes great use of metaphors that help tell the story in a compelling manner. His use of the fictional children’s story “Nina and the Nix,” as perceived by Pascoe’s daughter Rose, tells us a lot of what we need to know to better understand the story. It adds a lot to the substance to the book. I believe this might be his very best work, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book. As always, Hill gives us a surprise ending with all loose ends tied up. He also continues to give us great character development and has added a new character (Detective Constable Shirley Novello) to the Yorkshire CID team. He tells us a lot about her, even though she is a new, and relatively inexperienced member of the team of detectives. His insightful descriptions of the major characters in his police group is supplemented by details of the relationships between parents and children, and of the pain suffered by parents at the loss of a child. This book is deep, but well worth the read. 5 Stars from me. Highly recommended.
July 14, 2012
One of the more disturbing books in the Dalziel and Pascoe series, in part because of the theme of serial child killing, but also because it shows that there are no easy answers. It's a complex and thought-provoking story, and one that easily supports re-reading. There is the mystery, yes, but there is also the psychological study of a village traumatised both by a series of unsolved child murders and by its forced relocation after its valley was drowned by a new water reservoir. It's also beautifully written by a master of prose. Hill brings his characters to full and vivid life, and they will linger with you for days.[return][return]Ideally the series should be read in order, and I think regular readers already familiar with the characters will get more out of this book, but it can be read as a standalone. For those familiar with the series, Hill continues to develop the story of his ongoing characters, deftly weaving it into the main plot of the book. Note that there are references to events in the previous book (The Wood Beyond) which are slight spoilers for that book.
July 29, 2014
Reginald Hill is a true original (or was--he's no longer with us). He paces his books beautifully; can make you laugh and cry, sometimes in the same sentence; and he never follows any kind of formula. You love (and kind of hate one of) his characters, who are fully realized, you know they may not even get the bad guy, and sometimes you realize that there was never any crime committed!
In On Beulah Height, he interweaves past and present into a chilling, yet heartbreaking, tale of loss: of a drowned town sacrificed to the need for water, of missing children, and of tormented adults. Yet he still can make you chuckle with his outrageous analogies.
More people should read this genius, who was considered the best British male crime fiction writer of the 20th century. Just make sure you start at the beginning with A Clubbable Woman, because the characters evolve and you want to learn it all in order.
In On Beulah Height, he interweaves past and present into a chilling, yet heartbreaking, tale of loss: of a drowned town sacrificed to the need for water, of missing children, and of tormented adults. Yet he still can make you chuckle with his outrageous analogies.
More people should read this genius, who was considered the best British male crime fiction writer of the 20th century. Just make sure you start at the beginning with A Clubbable Woman, because the characters evolve and you want to learn it all in order.
April 10, 2017
The country village of Dendale is being evacuated prior to its valley being flooded for a new reservoir, but before that can happen, three young girls go missing and the primary suspect, Benny Lightfoot, disappears too. Fifteen years later, another girl goes missing in the village to which Dendale residents had been relocated, and somebody has written “Benny’s Back” around the region. Dalziel failed to solve the case fifteen years ago; can the parallels help him to solve this one now?....This is the seventeenth Dalziel and Pascoe novel, and a very fine addition to the series. Not only do we have the past and present crimes to solve, but we spend a great deal of time with Pascoe, who is full of rage and fear after his daughter Rosie contracts a very serious illness. There’s both professional and domestic strife, and a mystery that kept me guessing right up to the very end; recommended!
August 14, 2019
Reginald Hill is the undisputed king of characterisation. I stumbled upon his Dalziel and Pascoe series by accident when my husband left an episode on the TV one evening and decided to give the books a try: I am so glad I did! Andy Dalziel is one of the best characters ever created in literature: he lacks grace and manners, is rough, colloquial and inappropriate, but he's also fiercely loyal, immensely clever and thoroughly northern (always a win for me!). Everything about Hill's style of writing has me gripped from the start: the prologues, the epigraphs, the unique plots, the characters, the setting, the dialogue (oh, how I love the dialogue!). Every word oozes talent and intellect.
'On Beulah Height' was a fantastic novel in this series. It had me laughing, crying and kept me guessing until the end.
'On Beulah Height' was a fantastic novel in this series. It had me laughing, crying and kept me guessing until the end.
June 11, 2010
Another gem in the Dalziel/Pascoe series. The story revolves around missing children in instances that are 12 years apart. In the first disappearances Dalziel and "Wieldy" (his recently out-of-the-closet Sergeant Wield) investigated and were unsuccesful in bringing anyone to justice. Now it has happened again and they are back along with Pascoe with a sense of deja vu. The sudden and serious illness of Pascoe's daughter takes him away and the majority of the investigation falls to Dalziel, Wieldy, and Novello, the female member of the team.
This book develops the previously secondary characters of Wieldy and Novello and gives the reader a glimpse into their lives and personalities.
Very satisfactory and an enjoyable read.
This book develops the previously secondary characters of Wieldy and Novello and gives the reader a glimpse into their lives and personalities.
Very satisfactory and an enjoyable read.
January 2, 2008
I was hunting forums for recommended reading and found this book. I'm not a big mystery fan but I found this an interesting read, what I didn't like is that I must have misunderstood and I thought that this was the first in a series but from what I can gather, I'm plum in the middle of it. So, I felt like there was all this stuff I was missing out on. The story kept my attention, the Yorkshire accent kind of drove me crazy after awhile though. I don't think that I'll read anymore of them though.
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